Crozius Arcanum

A Crozius Arcanum is a mace or staff that is used as both a melee weapon and the primary badge of office of Space MarineChaplains. This duality of purpose presents no philosophical conundrum for the Chaplains, as for them battle itself represents the most valuable form of worship of the Emperor of Mankind. It is normally shaped in the form of either a staff or a mace, topped by the double-headed Aquila of the Imperium or a winged skull that represents the Emperor's sacrifice for humanity.

Incorporated within the shaft of a Crozius is a powerful gravitic energy field capable of disrupting matter much in the same way as a Power Weapon. The Crozius is the badge of office of Chaplains and is normally used in many Space Marine ceremonies and rituals across a vast array of Chapters. To show their faith in the Emperor of Mankind, the Crozius, along with the Chaplain, is most likely to be adorned by Purity Seals and other tokens of faith.

Accursed Crozius

The Crozius Arcanum is still used by the corrupted Dark Apostles of the Word Bearers, which is the only Heretic AstartesTraitor Legion still to employ the use of Chaplains. However, in the hands of the Dark Apostles, the weapon is known as an Accursed Crozius, now a symbol of the Dark Apostles' devotion to the Ruinous Powers of Chaos in the form of the Chaos Star (representing the Eight-Fold Path), rather than a sacred emblem of their reverence for the Emperor.

Twisted and warped from the pure Crozius Arcanum of Loyalist Space Marine Chaplains into something hideously blasphemous, an Accused Crozius mocks the Imperium with its mere existence. Not only is an Accursed Crozius still a potent weapon, it also signifies that its bearer is blessed by the Chaos Gods, enjoying physical protection as well as a closer connection to them, and ability to summon the Daemons of the Warp.

At the time of the Horus Heresy, most of the Chaplains of the Traitor Legions resisted the lure of Chaos and were slaughtered by their fellow Space Marines. Only the Chaplains of the Word Bearers were as possessed of the same fervent desire to find entities truly worthy of worship as their PrimarchLorgar, and so they willingly followed him into devotion to Chaos Undivided.

To prove their dedication to faith in the Ruinous Powers, the Chaplains corrupted their once-sacred Crozius Arcanum, a symbol of the Imperial Truth that they had now abandoned. Even worse, some became home to vengeful Daemons that sought not only the violence that surrounded a Dark Apostle, but also the endless supplications of the Apostle's mortal followers. In battle, an Accursed Crozius serves not only as both a weapon and mark of a Dark Apostle's rank, but also a powerful link between the bearer and the entities of the Warp itself.